Logging in with Tectia SSH Terminal GUI (on Windows)

With Tectia ConnectSecure it is easy to establish connections to new remote host computers, and to manage the settings required for each host. The Quick Connect option allows you to quickly open new connections, minimizing the work associated with configuring each connection. It is easy to define profiles for new hosts, and save the correct settings for each.

On Windows, you can connect to a remote host by using the Tectia SSH Terminal GUI as follows:

Open the Tectia SSH Terminal by clicking its icon on your desktop:

Figure 3.1. The Tectia SSH Terminal icon

Tectia SSH Terminal GUI offers several ways to open a Secure Shell connection:

If you already have a session open, click the Quick Connect command (toolbar or File menu). You can connect to a new remote host computer and still keep the old connection to a different host open.

If you have closed an earlier session, you can open a new session by pressing Enter or Space on the keyboard when the (still disconnected) terminal window is active.

Enter connects you directly to the same remote server as the previous session.

Space opens the Connect to Server dialog box, and you can define the server where you wish to connect.

If you have defined connection profiles, you can also connect by clicking File → Profiles → <Profilename> on the menu, or clicking the Profiles button on the toolbar and clicking the profile name.

In this case, the settings defined in the profile (hostname, port, user name etc.) are automatically used for the connection and the Connect to Server dialog box is not shown. For instructions on creating and editing the connection profiles, see Defining Connection Profiles.

This opens the Connect to Server dialog box where you can define the host you want to connect to:

Figure 3.2. The Connect to Server dialog box

Define the following information and click Connect:

Host Name – the FQDN, short host name, or the IP address of the remote host.

User Name – your user name on the remote host

Port Number – 22 is the default Secure Shell listener port.

Authentication Method – the default settings are used unless you specify one of the available user authentication methods (Password, Public Key, Keyboard Interactive, and GSSAPI). For more information on authentication methods, see Chapter 4.

With later sessions within the same (disconnected) terminal window, the values used in the previous connection will be pre-filled.

The server authentication phase starts. The remote server host will provide your local computer with its host public key. The host key identifies the server host.

Tectia ConnectSecure checks if information on this key is already stored in your own host key directory. If not, the host key directory common to all users on your computer is checked next. If information on this host key is not found, you are asked to verify the new key.

When public-key authentication is used to authenticate the server, the first connection is very important. When Tectia ConnectSecure receives a new server host key, it will display the host identification message.

Figure 3.3. The host identification dialog – the first connection to a remote host

The message displays the fingerprint of the host's public key in the SSH Babble format that is a series of pronounceable five-letter words in lower case and separated by dashes.

Verify the validity of the fingerprint, preferably by contacting the administrator of the remote host computer by telephone. After verifying the fingerprint, it is safe to save information on the host key for future use. You can also choose to cancel the connection, or to proceed with this connection without saving the host public key information.

Caution

Never save a host public key without verifying its authenticity!

Click OK to close the host identification dialog.

Information on the server public key will be stored on the client-side machine so that the client can later validate the key. On Tectia ConnectSecure, the public key information is stored in the "%APPDATA%\SSH\HostKeys" directory.

The user authentication phase starts. You will be prompted to authenticate yourself to the server using the authentication method you selected in the Connect to Server dialog, or by default with your password or with the passphrase of your private key. The required authentication method depends on the server settings.

After the server has successfully authenticated you, the Secure Shell connection to the server is opened.

(Optional) If you did not use a connection profile when connecting, an Add Profile dialog box appears for 5 seconds, allowing you to create a new connection profile with the information you provided for the connection. In the Profile Name field, type in a name for the new profile. Then click Add to Profiles. The Tectia Connections Configuration GUI opens, showing the information for the new profile. Click Apply to save the new connection profile. For detailed instructions on editing the connection profile, see Defining Connection Profiles.